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Handspun Tapestry Weaving

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Have a (Kindergarten) Heart: Opening to Love and Compassion

Open-heartedness has been the theme of our practice this week. On Tuesday evening, Heather spoke of allowing our "Kindergarten Hearts" to come to the fore. When you're young, you are open to all possibilities. You love, you fight, your sense of adventure knows no boundaries. Having a "Kindergarten Heart" means allowing the raw tenderness at our core to be exposed. This exposure leaves us vulnerable, but it also permits us to expand love and kindness into the world.

I've talked about Lifelines in past posts. Lifelines are those moments which come together in such a way as to provide meaning or assistance for you at a critical time. People often refer to these gatherings of moments or events as synchronicity. I see Lifelines as moving beyond that, because, rather than just being connected events, they provide me with assistance when it's needed most. I've found that Lifelines come when I allow my heart to open, when I face what I fear, what I'm unsure of, when I breathe into stillness.

When you approach the world with an open heart, things come your way. You may find yourself exploring careers, hobbies, places or people beyond your habitual territory. You soften with compassion for people and their suffering, without taking on their troubles. You develop Big Feelings, feelings which include pain and sorrow, but which also bring you great joy and happiness. Your open heart allows you to leap.

In knitting meditation, the rhythm of stitches moving along needles, of fabric flowing from those stitches, reminds me that small actions can bring about large growth. In honour of our week of open-hearted practice, I sit with my needles and yarn. I work in stockinette stitch, because each stitch on the knit side of the fabric reminds me of a small heart. With each new heart, I send loving kindness out to a beloved individual, beginning with myself. As the fabric grows, I extend that open-hearted love out to acquaintances, strangers, those who bring conflict to me and to others. I open my heart to all Beings. I feel that heart beat with the rhythm of the universe. And I breathe.